Clothesline chock



Dec. 31, 1940. E. J. MAssE 2,226,937

CLOTHESLINE CHOCK Filed Sept. 30, 1939 Patented Dec. 31, 1940 (UNITEDSTATES.

PATENT OFFICE 1 2,226,937 oLo'rnEs INE onoox Edward J. Masset, Brooklyn,N. Y. Application September 30, 1939, Serial No. 297,288

' 6 Claims. (01. 24-134) 1 This invention relates to means foradjustably connecting. flexible .members and more particularly todevices for adjustably connecting adjacent parts of ropes, clotheslinesand the like, though it is. noted that in some of the claims theinvention is not limited to ropes or clotheslines. 1

One object of the invention is to provide'an improved device of thiskind by which adjacent portions of the flexible members may be easilyand quickly adjusted and held.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an improved device of thiskind which may be made mostly of stamped sheet metal, and which has fewparts. 7

Additional objects of the invention are toeffeet simplicity andefficiency in such devices and to provide an extremely simple device ofthis kind which is durable and reliable in use, and economicalto-manufacture and easy to install.

Still other objects of the invention will appear as the descriptionproceeds; and while herein details ofthe invention are described in thespecification and some of the claims, the invention as described in thebroader claims is not limited to these as many and various changes maybe made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed inthe broader claims.

The inventive features for the accomplishment of .these and otherobjects are shown herein in connection with an improved chock forclotheslines or other flexible members, which briefly stated, includespivotally connected elon- ,3 gated main and keeper members respectivelyhaving spaced clamping rollers transversely rotatably mounted closelyadjacently thereon, one of the rollers being knurled and eccentricallymounted. One line part is secured to the pivot end of the main member;and latching means releasably hold the members together with the rollersin closely spaced relation. A guide opening on the main member guidesthe other linepart between said rollers, the rollers being close 45enough together to lock the line-part with a wedging action caused bythe eccentricity of the eccentric roller.

In the accompanying drawing showing, by Way of example, one of manypossible embodi- 50 ments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View, partly in elevation,showing the chock in use;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the chock;

Fig. 3 is a plan of the keeper;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig.1, looking in the direction of the arrows of said line; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view, partly in elevation, showing thepivot connection, the section being taken substantially on the line 5--5of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows of said line.

My improved chock is shown in combination,

with adjacent parts 8 and 9 of a clotheslin'e or web part II havingparallel lateral flanges l3.

extended to provide a slightly projecting pair of spaced pivot ears l4near one end of the. member and a pair of prominently projected guideears l5 near the other end. To the main member I I] is pivoted anelongated sheet metal keeper l1 comprising a plate like web part [3having inwardly turned parallel lateralflanges l9 guid-j ably receivedbetween the ears I5 and provided with slightly projected ears Zl'pivoted. on a pivot pin 22 in said pivot ears M. The flanges i9 are alsoprovided with prominently projected bears ing ears 24 near the innerside edges ofssaid guide ears iii. The web parts I I and N3 of the. mainmember and keeper are respectively provided with axial strengtheningribs 25, 26.

.A smooth clamping roller 28 is rotatably mounted on a pin 29 betweenthe mid-parts of. said guide ears l5; and a knurled Or toothed eccentricclamping roller. .30 is rotatably mounted on a pin 3| between saidbearing ears24, and is adapted at its most eccentric part to be disposedless than minimum rope-diameter distance from the other roller 28.

The main plate member It is provided with an eyeleted opening 32 at thepivot end of the main member through which one line or rope part-8 istied or otherwise secured. The member ID is provided with a transverseimpressed latching groove 33 shorter than the width of the member, andwith an eyeleted guide opening 34 opposite to the space between saidrollers 2'3, 38. The free end part 35 of the keeper I! is projectedfurther than the clamping end of the main member and is provided withtransversely alined apertures 38 in the flanges [9 of the projectedpart. A substantially U-shaped latching bail 39, 40 has the free ends 4|of its arms 40 inturned and pivotally received in said apertures 38, andits yoke part 39 intermediately inwardly curved toward said ends 4| toform a detent portion 42 adapted to engage in said transverse groove 33,

to hold the keeper near the main member and substantially against thesmooth roller, thus to hold the rollers 28, 30 in spaced relation.

The other line or rope part 9 is adapted to be passed through said guideopening 34, between said rollers 28, 30, between the flanges I9 of thekeeper and between the arms 40 of the latching bail, whereby pull on therope parts in the direction of the arrows 44 tending to separate themcauses the roller 30 to be irictionally rotated until said mosteccentric part presses on the rope-part and looks it against the roller28 with a wedging action.

The operation of the device is obvious from the foregoing. One line orrope part 8 is tied or otherwise secured in the opening 32; and, thelatching bail 40 being released and the members Ill and I? well openedapart, the other line or rope part 9 is passed inwardly through theopening 34, past the roller 28 and through the bail 40. Enough of therope part 9 is drawn through the opening totake up the desired slack orto make the desired adjustment of the parts 8 and 9. Then the keepermember H is closed upon the main, clamping the rope part between therollers, after which the bail yoke 42 is placed in the groove 33.

When the rollers are thus brought together, the main. member is usuallyapproximately in the position of Fig. 1, and when the keeper is broughttoward the main member the most eccentric part of the roller 30 willhang below its pin 3|, so that the more eccentric parts of the roller 30will not at first meet the rope. However, when a pull is exerted on therope parts, the teeth and friction of roller 30 will cause that rollerto rotate until a more eccentric part meets the rope part and clamps therope part with an increasing wedging clamping action. The distancebetween the rollers relative to the minimum diameter of rope part issuch that the most eccentric part of the roller 30 never reaches theplane of the pins 29, 3|; as the minimum possible diameter of the ropeis somewhat greater than minimum possible distance between the rollers,and the clamping action will continue until the rope is positively held.

. To release the rope part 9, it is merely necessary to release the bail40 and separate the members l0 and I1.

If desired, the lower ends 45, 46 of the rope or line parts may beintegrally or otherwise joined or tied together, to prevent the part 9from slipping from the chock. Or the end or ends 46, 45 may be merelyknotted to prevent their passage from the eyeleted openings.

- The invention claimed is:

1. In combination, pivotally connected members respectively havingspaced clamping rollers rotatably mounted closely adj acently thereon,one of the rollers being eccentrically mounted} means to releasably holdthe members with the rollers in closely spaced relation; and means onone member to guide a flexible element between said rollers.

2. In combination, relatively movable members respectively havingclamping devices mounted closely adjacently thereon, at least one of thedevices moving with wedging action relative to the other latching meansto hold the members with said devices in closely spaced relation; andmeans on one member to guide a flexible element between said devices,the devices, when the members are latched together, being close enoughtogether to clamp the element.

3. In combination, a support; parallel clamping rollers rotatablymounted on the support, one of the rollers being knurled, one of therollers being eccentrically mounted; means to releasably hold therollers in closely spaced relation; guide means on the support to guidea rope-part between said rollers.

4. In combination, adjacent parts of a line or rope; an elongated mainmember having a pair of prominently projected guide ears near one end;

an elongated keeper pivoted to the other end of the member and havingprominently projected bearing ears near theinner side edges of saidguide ears; spaced rollers rotatably mounted between the ears of therespective pairs, one of the rollers being roughened, one of the rollersbeing eccentrically mounted; one rope-part being secured to the pivotend of the member; the clamping end part of the member having a guideopening opposite to the space between said rollers;

latching means to hold the keeper near the main member with the rollersin spaced relation; the other rope part being passed through said guideopening and between said rollers; whereby pull on the rope-parts causesthe rollers to be frictionally rotated; the most eccentric part of' theeccentric roller being close enough to the other roller to lock therope-part with a wedging action.

5. In combination, relatively movable members respectively havingclamping devices mounted closely adjacently thereon at least one of thedevices moving with wedging action relative to the other; releasablemeans to positively hold the members with said devices in closely spacedrelation; and means on one member to guide a flexible element betweensaid devices, the devices, when in said spacedrelation being closeenough together to clamp element; said members when the releasable meansis released being relatively movable in a direction to separate thedevices from the flexible member.

6. In combination, pivotally connected elongated main and keeper membersrespectively having spaced transversely axially parallel clampingrollers freely rotatably mounted closely adjacently thereon, one of therollers being roughened and eccentrically mounted; line securing meansat the pivot end of the main member; releasable means to releasably holdthe members together with the rollers in closely spaced relation; andrope guide means on the main member to guide a rope-part between saidrollers, the rollers being, I

when the members are unreleased, close enough

